Karachi turmoil: Call for depoliticisation of police, better coordination
Speakers say community engagement, local bodies’ elections also a must.
“Growing sectarian divide and ethnic conflict are two major problems that need to be addressed on priority,” speaker said. PHOTO: FILE
Speakers at a seminar on Friday stressed the need for depoliticising police force, robust political will and better coordination between state agencies to quell the unrest and conflict in Karachi.
They also called for community engagement at local level in decision-making, devising policies pertaining to local government, and political consensus to tackle the menace of violence, conflict and to make it a stable and economically strong and vibrant city.
They also urged the federal and provincial governments to evolve short- and long-term strategies to deweaponise Karachi and make it drug free cosmopolitan city.
They were speaking at a seminar on “Tackling violent conflict and extremism in Karachi”, organised jointly by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) and the Aktis Strategy (AS) in Islamabad.
Integration of Karachi into national fabric is crucial as it is our economic hub and securing it is today’s issue which should be sought on priority basis, they said Addressing the seminar, PIPS Director Muhammad Aamir Rana linked restoration of peace and order in the whole country with elimination of extremism and violence from the southern port city.
“Growing sectarian divide and ethnic conflict are two major problems that need to be addressed on priority,” he said. At the end of the day, it is the people of Karachi who suffer, whether a person belongs to any party, group or any ethnicity,” he remarked.
Ziaur Rahman, a senior journalist and author of “Karachi in Turmoil”, in his speech stated that Karachi was going through serious turmoil for the last many years which needs to be addressed at any cost.
He maintained that one of the main reasons for the situation in the city is the meagre size of police force as compared to population.
He highlighted the rise of several banned and sectarian groups and gave a detailed overview of their operation, finances and outreach in different areas of Karachi.
“We didn’t see any significant development or dismantling of the TTP in Karachi since the start of the operation,” he said.
Addressing the seminar, Aktis Strategy Managing Director Andrew Rathmell highlighted the lack of coordination between different civic departments in the city.
He was of the view that there was a dire need to enhance and strengthen the local police system while equipping them with the latest resources.
He also spoke about the involvement of community in the whole process as that could help building people’s confidence on local police.
Ameen Jan said that the number of police personnel as compared to the population of the city was disproportionate. Without the involvement of locals and local bodies’ representatives, putting the entire responsibility on police and security forces won’t solve the problem, he said.
Ahmad Ali of ISAPS said that no regular policy or losses of lives in Karachi have been acknowledged by the state. “It takes a plenty of time for the government to respond as far as compensations to the victims are concerned, and a number of violations are never reported,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 17th, 2014.